Rejoining the World

Sorry for my absenteeism of late - I have a very legitimate excuse this time!

Life has been a little rough at the Fannin house for a few days. Wednesday morning I woke up around 1:30 or 2:00 am to that violent, retching, toss-up-everything-but-your-stomach-lining-and-maybe-even-that vomiting. I had a regular OB appointment mid-morning Wednesday, so despite my having prescription nausea meds, I still couldn't manage to keep down even liquids for about 24 hours.

Side note: (Even though my mother thinks I'll regret sharing this part) Know what kind of meds you get when you can't keep anything down?? That's right. Suppositories. Granted, I had plenty of those suckers when I was a child (sorry, Mom), but I'm an adult. It was humiliating. But since misery loves company, I thought you should know! :o)

Because I did end up running a fever and also because I passed this lovely thing along to Coleman, my doctor is certain that it was a virus (and thus not pregnancy related), but after being without even liquids for 24 hours, I was pretty bad off. As of 2 am Thursday, I was able to hold down Gatorade, but at the 52 hour mark, I had only kept down a couple of pieces of dry toast, 2 dry biscuits, and 2 popsicles. This was starting to get a little dicey for Baby Fannin, and for the first time, I began to sense decreased fetal movement (yes, I was quite terrified at this point - it was the only time I've ever been truly worried during the entire pregnancy) - not to mention that if she did get dehydrated or begin to starve, she could initiate labor, and considering I was taking baths because I was too weak to stand long enough to take a shower, I knew I couldn't make it through labor like that. So, my nurses had me do a "kick count" where I laid on my left side for an hour, sipped something sugary, and tallied how many movements she made in that hour.

When I called them back, they were "okay" with the count, but because it was Friday and they didn't want me on my own all weekend, they told me to go to the hospital and head to labor and delivery to be evaluated. They checked the plus one out on the fetal monitor, and much to my relief, said she was doing "beautifully." I, on the other hand, had to have i.v. fluids, but after that and two urine tests, they let me go without checking me into the hospital.

The i.v. really helped turn things around, and although I'm not up to 100% (and neither is poor Coleman), I'm on the mend and am feeling much, much better. We're just praying she holds off for just a little while longer so Coleman and I can both be at full strength for the task of getting her here.

I am thankful, though, for all the calls and emails from family and friends who were checking in on us regularly. Between my overprotective parents, my experienced mom-friends, and my [almost] doctor friend, Dharmpal, I'm getting the best care and advice possible, and this kid is going to be well taken care of! And even though I felt pretty miserable, I also felt very loved and supported, so thank you all.